


Who Knew Birthdays Could Be So Complicated

by KitKatWinchester



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adorable Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Awesome Pepper Potts, Because of course he did, Being Tied Up/Shackled, Birthday, Blood and Violence, Bruises, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fix-It, Gen, Good Friend Ned Leeds, Guns, Hurt Peter Parker, I promise, Irondad, Kidnapping, Look Tony and Peter Just Really Love Each Other Okay?, Minor Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, POV Tony Stark, Panic Attacks/Anxiety (Minor), Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark are Siblings (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Post-Endgame, Precious Peter Parker, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Had to Live, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Torture, Uncle Happy Hogan, birthday celebration, ironfam, rated teen for cursing, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24826816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitKatWinchester/pseuds/KitKatWinchester
Summary: Peter’s turning seventeen, and Tony has a big surprise planned at the lake-house. But when Peter gets kidnapped three days before the big day, everything goes out the window as Tony desperately tries to find him. At the same time, Peter desperately tries to keep him away, not wanting to put his mentor and father-figure in harm’s way; especially knowing his captor, Perceptivo, is looking for revenge on Tony Stark.
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Helen Cho, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark, Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, Happy Hogan & Tony Stark, Happy Hogan/May Parker (Subtle), Helen Cho & Tony Stark, IronFam - Relationship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, May Parker & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Ned Leeds, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker/Michelle Jones (Kinda), Tony Stark & Stephen Strange, irondad - Relationship, spiderson - Relationship
Comments: 92
Kudos: 131
Collections: Irondad Big Bang 2020





	1. The Unexpected Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!! 
> 
> The day is finally here! This is my Mini-Bang submission for this year's Irondad Big Bang, and I am SO excited!! Even though this is only a Mini-Bang, I put a lot of time and effort into making sure it was good, so I really hope you all like it! This is my first time doing something like this and I was really nervous, but I'm really excited to see what you all think of what I wrote! 
> 
> The BIGGEST shout-out to my bestie Grace for ALL of her help with this story! Without her, this story never would've happened, and it DEFINITELY wouldn't be half as good lol. Thank you for beta-reading and letting me always bounce ideas off of you! It means a lot! <3
> 
> An even BIGGER shout-out to the creator of the INCREDIBLE art for this story, Luna! You can find her @lunaliaarts on [Tumblr.](https://lunaliaarts.tumblr.com/) She did an AMAZING job and I was so lucky to be paired with her for this year's Big Bang! Thanks for sharing your amazing talent with everyone! <3 
> 
> And, lastly, shout-out to Mads, the mod for this Big Bang, for putting this whole thing together and allowing me to be a part of it! It was so much fun! 
> 
> With all of that said, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of "Who Knew Birthdays Could Be So Complicated"! <3 <3 <3

It’s weird for Peter to think about turning seventeen in three days. 

When he was gone, it hadn’t felt like five years, but now that he’s back, it feels like ten years.

Everything is so...different. Every _one_ is so different.

Admittedly, it helps that May and all of his friends had been dusted like him...which is something he never thought he’d say. 

But coming back to see Mr. Stark--to meet his _daughter_ \--that was weird.

But, thinking about it now, it was still one of the best moments of his life. 

When Mr. Stark snapped, Peter thought everything was over. He was ready to get dusted all over again when he saw Mr. Stark scarred in the middle of that battlefield.

But then his hero had healed, and he’d been able to properly introduce Peter to Morgan. Peter was able to see his family again--May, MJ, Ned, Pepper, Happy, Rhodey--and everything felt...okay. It felt normal. As normal as it could get, anyways.

So, of course, he had to get kidnapped. 

He’s been sitting in a dark room, hands shackled behind his back, for at least a few hours now, and he has yet to actually _see_ his captor. That said, he assumes there has to be a camera somewhere--there usually is in these kinds of situations--but even that’s somewhere out of his line of vision.

He tested the shackles when he first woke up in the room. They seem like usual steel, so definitely breakable, but, given that he doesn’t have his mask on, he doesn’t want to bust his way out. 

Not yet, anyways. Not until he knows who grabbed him, and what they want. 

As if someone had read his mind, there’s a sudden click from behind him, and Peter cranes his neck just enough to see two men step through a large, metal doorway. 

“Oh hey, you do exist! I was starting to wonder if I’d somehow tied myself up.” The two men don’t even acknowledge him, crossing on either side of him and stopping. Now sitting between the two men, he realizes how large they both are, and he feels his heart rate speed up, just a bit.

“Oh, come on now, guys,” he says, his fingers itching to break himself free. “Take a joke, why don’t ya.” Again, they don’t say anything, and Peter can feel his adrenaline building. Before he has a chance to do anything, though, another voice speaks up behind him.

“You can stop fidgeting,” he hears, and he tenses slightly. “They’re not going to do anything to you. Not without my say-so anyways.” 

Peter’s finally able to put a face to the voice as another man crosses in front of him. Peter surveys him with quick eyes. This guy wears glasses and is much scrawnier than the other two--which makes the two guys next to Peter the muscle. And yet, despite his sixth sense, the man had somehow managed to get the jump on him on his walk home from school, so he must be clever. 

“Ah, the mastermind. I can tell by the glasses.” The guy glares at him, but otherwise doesn’t acknowledge his comment, pacing back and forth in front of Peter. 

“And you’re Peter Parker, legendary Stark Industries intern.”

Peter laughs despite himself. “Legendary? Dude, no way am I that popular, but thanks for the compliment I guess.” Even with his sass, Peter’s mind is busy calculating. If the dude knows about his internship with Mr. Stark, what _else_ does he know? “Besides, I’m an _intern._ I’m surprised you even know who I am.”

“Oh you’re so much more than just an intern though, aren’t you?” the man says, eyes narrowing as a smile sets across his face. “Spider-boy.”

That makes Peter freeze. _How could he know about Spider-Man?_ He quickly tries to cover his surprise, smirking at the dude in front of him.

“Spider-boy? You’re more of a spider than I am, four-eyes.”

“DON’T play dumb with me!” the man yells in response, and Peter actually tenses a little in surprise. “I know _exactly_ who you are, Peter Benjamin Parker. And it’s not just some random SI employee.” 

Peter tenses at the full name--how does this guy know so much about him?--his senses now on high alert. He watches the man with a careful gaze as he comes closer, slowly circling the chair. 

“You’re Tony Stark’s _personal_ intern, not to mention his sidekick.” 

Peter can’t help the way his facial expression falls slightly at that--”sidekick” sounds so demeaning. He really didn’t think that’s who he was to Mr. Stark…

“And since you seem to mean so much to him,” the man stops, then, standing in front of him again. “You’re going to help me find him.”

Peter rolls his eyes, attempting to keep his cool, but inside, his panic is slowly building.

“Try the cemetery. Tony Stark is dead.” He lets his voice falter at the end, though it’s more natural than he was expecting. Even imagining his hero dead, picturing what could’ve happened...it’s enough to force a lump into his throat. 

“You and I both know that’s not true,” the villain remarks. “Your little Spidey suit showed upgrades to the eyes and recon drone only two weeks ago, and there’s only one person I know who can do that.”

Peter’s eyes widen slightly at that. _Not only does he know I’m Spider-Man, but he can_ identify _upgrades to the suit?? Who_ is _this guy?_ He schools his expression just in time for the man to turn to face him again.

“Disappointing that you think so little of me, especially as an advanced student. Seeing as you seem to know so much about me and all. “ Peter tries to lean back as much as he can, trying to seem nonchalant. “Speaking of which, seems a little unfair that you know me, but I don’t know you…” He trails off, hoping the man’s apparent overconfidence will be enough to make him answer. 

“My name is of no consequence,” he responds, waving a flitting hand. “But you can refer to me as Perceptivo.” 

Peter stares at him, then bursts out laughing. 

“Really? Perceptivo is the _best_ supervillain name you could come up with?” he asks, smirk on his lips. 

“Big talk coming from _Spider-Man_ ,” Perceptivo retorts.

“...touche,” Peter agrees, though reluctantly. Hoping to keep Perceptivo--he seriously can’t believe he has to process that name--talking, he presses for more answers as his eyes subtly scan for his chances at escape.

“What is it you want with Tony, anyways?” 

“What do I want with Tony Stark?” Perceptivo echoes. “The same thing that everyone else wants--payback. The legendary Tony Stark takes from the world, piece by piece, and never gives a sliver of it back. The world may see him as a hero, but I know what he’s really like. I’ve seen it first hand.”

Peter stiffens at that, and he can feel the protests rising in his throat, anger boiling his blood. But he knows he can’t defend him, no matter how badly he wants to. It’ll only make the situation worse. 

“I had a good life at Stark Industries,” Perceptivo continues, pacing the space in front of Peter again. “I was smart, I worked hard. Then, I made one tiny error, one _little_ miscalculation, and Tony fired me. He claimed I was ‘untrustworthy’ and ‘incapable of following safety procedures.’ Really, it was just an obvious excuse to get rid of me. When my wife found out I lost my job, she left me. Took the kids with her too.” Perceptivo stops directly in front of Peter and turns to stare at him, glare present on his face.

“Tony Stark took _everything_ from me.” His glare turned much more sinister as his lips went up in a smile. “So now, I’m going to return the favor.” 

Peter feels his senses skyrocket as Perceptivo glances at one of the guards, but before he has a chance to react, he’s hit in the stomach by the man on his left. It’s a hard enough hit that he grunts, curling over as much as he can.

“So,” Perceptivo speaks up again. “Let’s try this again, shall we? Where. Is. Tony. Stark?” Peter looks up at him, breathing ragged from the surprise of the hit.

“I told you,” he says, eyes narrowed. “The cemetery.” This earns Peter another hit, though this one is across the face, and from the guy on his right. It stings, and he feels blood pool from his nose almost immediately, but the hit was less of a surprise. He can tell now that the goal is to torture the information out of him--to push him until he breaks.

But there’s one thing Perceptivo probably doesn’t realize: Peter will do whatever it takes to keep his loved ones safe.

He considers breaking the chains and trying to make his escape, but given that his stomach and head are still reeling slightly from the earlier hits, he’s not sure he can take on all three guys at once. Better to wait it out and hope for a better opportunity.

Several more hits come his way, as Perceptivo tries again and again to pull information out of him. But he won’t budge. Not now, not ever.

As the hits come, Peter thinks about Tony, wondering if he’s realized he’s missing yet. He hopes not. He doesn’t want him coming here and putting himself in danger. Not when Peter knows he can handle it on his own.

Eventually, Peter’s dizzy enough that it becomes difficult to answer questions at all, and that’s where Perceptivo finally leaves him--slightly dazed and curled over in the chair. Peter cracks a bruised eye open as he watches them go, listening intently for when the door finally clicks shut.

The second he knows they’re gone, he loosens up a bit. His injuries should heal quickly, but once they’re healed, he doesn’t expect to have much time before Perceptivo comes back in for round two.

He needs an escape plan.

And fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO much for reading! Any kudos, comments, and otherwise are much appreciated! 
> 
> I hope you're all liking the story so far! The next chapter will be from Tony's perspective. 
> 
> I'll be updating every Wednesday and Saturday, so look for Chapter 2 on Wednesday!! 
> 
> And if you want to come see me reblog random fandom stuff, you can follow me on [Tumblr.](https://kitkatwinchester.tumblr.com/) :) 
> 
> Thanks again all! <3


	2. Forty-Three Minutes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> Thanks for coming back!! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far! 
> 
> Just a heads up: the way this (more or less) works is that I'll do one chapter of Peter's perspective, one chapter of Tony's, and then one chapter of both, so this chapter is from Tony's POV. 
> 
> Also, I know that these first couple chapters are pretty short, but they start to get longer as I go along, and some chapters are significantly longer than others, so just bear with me lol. 
> 
> Anyways! Thank you all for returning to this story! I hope you like Chapter 2!

Peter was supposed to be here forty-three minutes ago. 

Tony has been frantically pacing the Tower’s lab, continuing to check the clock every few minutes. Despite several attempts from his wife to convince him otherwise, he had insisted on coming with Happy to pick up Peter and bring him back to the lake house for his birthday. At the time, he claimed he was feeling nostalgic for the Tower. Really, he just wanted to be there for himself to make sure that absolutely nothing could go wrong. 

And now, Peter was forty-three minutes late. 

He had called Pepper, and she’d been convinced he was over-reacting, claiming that Peter had probably gotten held up at school and would likely be there soon. 

But that was twenty minutes ago, and Peter still isn’t here, and Tony really can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. 

He hears the elevator ding behind him and spins around hopefully, but his heart sinks a little at seeing Happy walk through the elevator doors. 

“Anything?” he asks, but Happy just shakes his head. He grumbles a bit--something about kids being respectful of adults’ time--but Tony can see the slight furrow in his eyebrows. Even Happy’s starting to get suspicious. No matter what happens, Peter’s  _ never  _ this late. 

Tony finally gives in, calling out to the A.I. who’s, luckily, still installed in the Tower systems. 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., call Peter.” He knows the kid’s been struggling with being back, and he tries hard not to be too overbearing, but his concern is starting to override that sentiment. 

F.R.I.D.A.Y. doesn’t answer right away, and Tony raises an eyebrow. “F.R.I., any day now.” There’s another brief pause before the A.I. finally responds, oddly hesitant. 

“The call’s not going through.” That stops Tony in his tracks, his blood running cold. 

“What did you just say?” 

“There’s no signal coming from his phone,” the A.I. continues. “I can’t track it. Something seems to be blocking it.” 

“ _ What _ something??” Tony asks, getting more and more frantic. The kid has a StarkPhone gifted by yours truly-- _ nothing  _ should be able to block that signal. He’d made sure of that himself. 

“I’m not sure,” the A.I. admits, and she’s starting to sound concerned. Not that he blames her, because his own heart is beating so fast he’s worried it’ll stop completely. 

“What about the suit? Can you track the suit?” The only reason his StarkPhone wouldn’t be working is if it was in pieces--and frankly, even then, Tony would probably still be able to find him--which means that something must’ve gone wrong. 

“The suit is at his apartment,” the A.I. responds, and Tony’s heart clenches further. 

“Watch. Check the watch.” 

“No signal from the watch either, boss,” the A.I. says. “Or from his backpack.” Tony spins to face Happy, whose face is now completely giving away his concern. Tony, meanwhile, is full-on panicking. 

He has more trackers on that kid than he’s ever put on anyone or anything--except maybe Morgan. How can  _ none of them  _ be traceable? 

And if the suit is still at his apartment, then that means that whatever happened happened to  _ Peter,  _ not Spider-Man.

Which is a thousand times worse. 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., call Rhodey and tell him he needs to get his ass here ASAP.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. hums a little in acknowledgement, and Tony starts frantically tapping on his own watch. “Happy, I need you to drive Peter’s path home from school. Check back roads, check alleys--anywhere he could’ve been hurt or taken.” He stops tapping, then, looking up at Happy. “Rhodey and I will check from above.” Happy gives him a disapproving look. 

“Tony you know what Bruce said--” 

“This is Peter we’re talking about, Hap,” he interjects, cutting the man off. “I’m not just gonna sit this one out.” 

Happy looks at him again, eyes furrowing. “Tony--” 

“Just drive, Hap!” Tony shouts, but instantly regrets it. “Please.” Happy looks at him for another minute before nodding, dutifully racing towards the elevator doors and back down to the car. 

“Boss, Colonel Rhodes is on the line,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. says the second the elevator doors close. 

“Put him through,” Tony responds, clenching his fists as he tests the strength in his prosthetic arm. 

“Tones, I’m on my way,” Rhodey’s voice echoes off the Tower walls. “What’s going on? F.R.I.D.A.Y. said Peter’s missing.” 

“He was supposed to be here almost an hour ago,” Tony explains. “And now F.R.I. can’t trace him.” Tony can feel his own words getting frantic as he starts to babble. “Four different trackers on that kid on a daily basis and not a single one is functional, Rhodes. I don’t understand. He swore to me he wouldn’t turn them off anymore, and after everything, I seriously doubt he would now. None of this makes any sense--”

“We’ll find him, Tony,” Rhodey cuts off his distressed rambling. “We’ll figure this out.” 

~

They’ve been flying around for thirty minutes, and neither of them--nor Happy--has found any sign of Peter or what could have happened. 

Pepper called Tony the second they got in the air. Apparently Happy had called her explaining what was going on. She told him to be careful and to let her know if there was anything she could do. When the call came in, he’d been worried she would tear him a new one for getting into the suit, but as a parent herself now, it seemed like she understood where he was coming from. 

As they make their way towards Peter’s apartment, Tony tries the kid’s phone for the fifteenth time. It doesn’t even ring. 

They stop just outside the door, and Tony taps his chest, making his suit disappear as Rhodey lifts up his own faceplate. 

“I’ll check inside. You check around the building, see if you can see anything that might tell us something.” Rhodey nods before the faceplate lowers again, covering him completely as he turns to make his way around the building. 

Tony glances around, only just now remembering that he’s not exactly supposed to be seen, being dead and all, and sighs in relief at realizing nobody’s seemed to notice him yet. He’ll have to be more careful than that. 

Tony tests his arm like before. It’s definitely not at full-strength, but it’s enough to punch someone out if he needs to. Just in case, though, he forms a gauntlet on his other hand, clenching it into a fist as he enters the apartment complex. 

When he finally reaches the Parkers’ door, he feels like he’s moving in slow motion. Some tiny part of him is hopeful that maybe Peter accidentally broke his phone and was too afraid to tell Tony. Maybe he came home from school and accidentally fell asleep. Maybe, just maybe, he’s sitting in there, perfectly fine and ready to come up to the cabin. 

The other 90% of him knows that would never happen. 

Despite that, he tries knocking first. “Peter? May? Anyone home?” He waits for what feels like forever, and when he’s sure there won’t be an answer, he pulls out the key he has and turns the lock, gradually easing the door open. 

Tony was expecting--almost hoping for--a massive mess. Dishes strewn about, curtains torn off the windows, any sign that a struggle had happened, that Peter had been napped from the apartment. 

But instead, all he sees is the apartment, normal as ever, actually even cleaner than usual. Peter and his aunt had clearly wanted to leave the apartment in good shape before being gone for the weekend.

He walks further into the room, glancing around to make sure it really is empty. Sure enough, as he continues to step through, it doesn’t seem like anybody’s been there for hours. A giant bowl of what looks like oatmeal sits discarded on the table--the remnants of a breakfast Peter had probably woken up too late to properly take care of. But other than the bowl, nothing seems out of the ordinary, and he feels his panic rising again. 

His watch beeps with a message from Rhodey. 

_ Ran into Happy out back. No sign of Peter anywhere between school and here. It doesn’t even look like he made it to the apartment. We’ll circle back to the school.  _

Tony curses under his breath, heart racing as he desperately tries Peter’s number again. And again. And again. 

No answer. 

He curses again, knowing he only has one other option. 

He doesn’t want to call her, doesn’t want to worry her, but she has a right to know what’s going on. And maybe she can tell them something. 

He types into his watch again, and May picks up after the first few rings. 

“Hey! How’s the birthday surprise coming along? Has Peter figured us out yet?” She sounds so cheerful, and Tony hates to ruin that, but he needs all the help he can get if they’re going to find him. 

“He uh--” he stutters ever so slightly, and that’s all it takes for May to pick up on his worry and concern. 

“Tony what happened?” she asks, and he hears the voices that had been in the background fade as she presumably goes into a different room. 

“Peter never showed,” Tony says quickly. He hears May’s breath hitch over the phone, but once he’s started, he can’t stop. “We’ve been looking for him for the last forty-five minutes, but none of the trackers are working, and his suit’s still here at the apartment. It doesn’t even look like he made it home. I was hoping maybe you’d seen him, maybe he’d gone to visit you and just forgot to call or something, but clearly that isn’t the case.” He can hear himself babbling again, the pain in his chest rising as his panic only rises further. 

“But I’m going to find him. We’re going to find him. There has to be something, some sort of clue, some key to where he went and what happened. And we’ll find it. We will. I can’t....”  _ I can’t lose him,  _ Tony thinks to himself, trailing off.  _ Not again.  _ “We’ll find him.” 

There’s a long pause on the other end, and Tony waits, trying to calm his own breathing and racing heart, before May’s voice finally comes through again. 

“He texted me earlier today telling me he was going to pick up sandwiches from Mr. Delmar’s on his way home from school,” she says, words firm and calculating, and Tony’s panic subsides with a glimmer of hope. “I’ll meet you there in twenty minutes.” She hangs up, and Tony doesn’t waste a minute. 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., tell Rhodey and Happy to go to Mr. Delmar’s.” He races back out the door, slamming it behind him before heading down the steps of the apartment as quickly as he can, the suit starting to build around him as he steps outside. 

It might not tell them anything, but it also might tell them something. 

And he’ll be damned if he’s not going to take advantage of any little thing he can to find his kid again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Kudos and comments are always appreciated! <3 
> 
> The next update is on Saturday! 
> 
> If you want to come say hi to the weirdo that is me, you can find me on [Tumblr!](https://kitkatwinchester.tumblr.com/)


	3. Lost Sleep, Long Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with another update! Yay! 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who's given me kudos and comments so far! It really means a lot, and I'm so happy to hear you all are liking it so far! 
> 
> This chapter's going to be a little bit longer than the others, because it has both Peter's and Tony's perspectives. :) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

By the way his bruises are healing, it’s easy for Peter to calculate the amount of time that’s passed. Which is a weird concept to think about, but getting hurt as often as he does as Spider-Man, he’s learned how the enhanced healing works. 

His right cheek is still slightly tender, but when he manages to shift enough to slide his shirt up slightly, he can see the bruises on his stomach already healing. That means it has to have been a few hours, at least. Mr. Stark is bound to start looking for him now, if he hasn’t already. 

Peter’s honestly a little surprised that he hasn’t shown up yet. While he’s happy to keep his mentor out of danger for as long as he can--especially since he still hasn’t fully healed from the snap--it’s odd to him that he’s likely been missing for several hours and no one’s found him yet.

He straightens up suddenly as he picks up footsteps just outside the door. He listens closely, his hearing picking up the beeps of a code being punched in, followed by a  _ click  _ as the door unlocks and is slowly pushed open. 

“Back so soon?” Peter remarks, and he’s surprised to see only Perceptivo step in front of him, no longer flanked by his guards. “No goons this time.” 

“Don’t get any ideas,” Perceptivo says immediately. “They’re right outside the door, watching our every move.” 

_ So there  _ is  _ a camera in here somewhere,  _ Peter thinks to himself. He figured as much. If he can find its location and plan this right, he can use that to his advantage. Slowly, he leans back and crosses his legs, once again putting on a bored expression of nonchalance. 

“So, what’s the plan this time? Intense interrogation?” His eyes scan the wall to his left, looking for any sign of a camera lens. “I already told you where Tony Stark is.” 

“I figured I’d try a different tactic,” Perceptivo speaks up, pacing in front of him again. “What if I started looking for a different person? Someone else who could tell me where Tony is. Ned Leeds, for example?” 

Peter tenses slightly, and his eyes shift back to Perceptivo.  _ How long has this guy been watching him?  _

“He’d tell you the same thing I did. Because it’s true.” Peter says, and the bite in his voice is harsh, despite him trying to hide it. 

“And Michelle Jones? Would she say the same thing too?” 

_ That  _ really  sets him off, and he straightens, uncrossing his legs and staring Perceptivo down with a steely gaze. 

“Yes. She would.” He sees the way Perceptivo smiles at his anger, and he wills himself to simmer down. Showing this much concern will only put his friends in more danger, and he would never let that happen. 

He trusts Ned and MJ with his life, because--well because they’re Ned and MJ. But they both know about the lake house, and even as resilient as they are--especially MJ--if Perceptivo somehow managed to get to them, there’s no guarantee he wouldn’t manage to pull information out of them, somehow. And that wouldn’t just hurt them, but Tony too. 

“Look,” Peter starts, much more calmly. “Ned and MJ haven’t even  _ met  _ Tony Stark. They barely even knew anything about the internship. Anything they do know about him comes from the news, so they’d have even less information than I would. And I was there on the battlefield. I saw what happened. Tony Stark is dead. If you don’t want to believe that, that’s not my problem.” 

Peter leans back again, feigning indifference. His heart is racing, and his muscles are tense with anger and worry, but he attempts a shrug, crossing his legs once more and watching Perceptivo closely. 

Perceptivo stares at him for a minute, and Peter can’t tell if he believes him about his friends. Luckily, he seems to, eventually breaking his gaze to pace again. 

“Alright, maybe your friends don’t know anything. But I have a feeling you do. So why don’t we try this one more time.” Perceptivo turns to glare at him, stopping directly in front of the chair. “Where is Tony Stark?” 

Peter rolls his eyes. If his arms weren’t tied behind his back, he’d have crossed them by now. “God, do you not speak English? Muerto. Mort. Mortuus est.” 

Perceptivo suddenly slams his hand on the armrest of the chair, and Peter can’t help his jump of surprise. 

“Stop. LYING! I know he’s alive, and I know you know where he is. And one way or another, you’re going to help me find him.” 

Despite his racing heart and the fear in his throat, Peter smirks, giving Perceptivo an equally menacing glare. 

“Good fucking luck.” 

Perceptivo glares at him, then slowly backs away, circling back around towards the door without saying anything else. 

Peter watches him go, following him with his eyes, and it’s then that he catches it: the glint of a camera lens. It’s set-up in the far corner over his right shoulder. He listens as Perceptivo opens the door and slams it shut, listening to the  _ click  _ as the door locks again. 

It isn’t until he no longer hears footsteps that he finally relaxes. A very, very small part of him almost wants to cry. He can pretend as much as he wants, but his worry and panic is only growing. 

He needs to get out of here. 

He needs to make sure Mr. Stark is okay, make sure his friends are okay. 

He needs to get rid of this guy. 

He eyes the camera again, trying to figure out how much of the room it can see. It seems like it’s mostly focused on the chair, so if he breaks the shackles and sticks to the same wall that the camera is situated on, they likely won’t be able to figure out where he went. 

He twists around as much as he can to look at his watch. 9:37p. That means it’s already dark. He has no idea where he is, so even with his sixth sense, trying to escape in the middle of the night is dumb, even for him. Especially without a suit. Unfortunately, it’ll be at least another eight hours before the sun comes up. 

He glances around the room again, and his leg starts to bounce anxiously. 

He checks and double checks and triple checks his plan in his head. 

He scans the room again. 

He checks his watch. 

9:38p. 

This is going to be a long night. 

~

9:38p. 

According to Tony’s watch and Mr. Delmar’s  _ not-very-helpful  _ information, Peter has been missing for seven hours and thirty-eight minutes. 

Seven hours and thirty-eight minutes.

_ I’m thirty-eight fucking seconds away from a full-blown panic attack,  _ Tony thinks to himself. 

He, Rhodey, Happy, and May had all met at Mr. Delmar’s a couple of hours ago. According to Delmar, Peter had stopped in just before two and picked up a couple of sandwiches to go. They chatted for a minute or two before the man waved goodbye, sending the kid off. As Peter left, Delmar had turned around to re-adjust something on the back shelves, and when he turned around, the kid was gone. 

At the time, Delmar had figured Peter was just in a hurry. But now, after May told him that he never came home, Delmar felt the need to mention how quickly Peter had seemed to disappear. 

But, of course, he never saw which way the kid went or who might have taken him. Hence, not-very-helpful information. Tony had wanted to go in and question the man himself, demand some sort of answers, but, given that he wasn’t supposed to be alive, that wasn’t exactly an option. 

Instead, each of them had searched the premises as best as they could. They’d gone around the back, in the air, up to the roof, even all around the store. Nothing pointed to any place that Peter could have been taken. 

It was weird, and it was really fucking annoying. 

“I don’t understand. It’s not like he could’ve just vanished into thin air,” May says as the four of them meet up at the front of the store again. 

“Maybe he did,” Rhodey suggests, and everyone turns to him, incredulous. “I’m just sayin’, we’ve seen some pretty wild things, especially lately. We know that magic is a thing. Maybe whoever took him somehow...portaled him away or something.” 

“You mean like Stephen?” Tony cuts in immediately. “I swear, if that wizard took him--” 

“I doubt Stephen took him, Tony,” Rhodey cuts in, eyeing him. “But maybe he knows someone who might’ve. And if nothing else, maybe he can find him.” Tony stares at him, not liking what he’s suggesting, but when Rhodey gives him a slow nod, Tony sighs, rolling his eyes. 

“Fine. Maybe you’re right.” Tony whips out his phone, scrolling until he finds “The Wizard” in his contacts. Rolling his eyes again, he begrudgingly taps the number before bringing the phone to his ear. 

Stephen picks it up after the first ring. 

“What do you want? I’m busy.” 

“Have you seen Peter?” Tony asks, not wasting a second. There’s a pause, and Tony can practically hear the eye roll over the phone. 

“No. Why would I know anything about your little protege?” 

Tony rolls his own eyes in return, giving Rhodey an annoyed look, but Rhodey just gestures for him to keep going. 

“Because he’s been missing for seven hours and he seems to have vanished off the face of the earth,” Tony shoots out, worry only further increasing his anger. “Have any of your wizard friends been kidnapping teenagers?” 

“We have much better things to do then execute kidnappings,” Stephen responds, the sass clear in his voice. “But I suppose I can ask around and see if I can find him. But I make no promises.” 

Before Tony can even respond, he hangs up, and Tony’s left groaning in exasperation. 

“He doesn’t know anything, of course. But, surprisingly enough, he’s going to keep an eye out,” Tony relays to the rest of the group. “But my hopes aren’t exactly up.” 

With his annoyance slowly dying, Tony’s panic is rising again, and he looks at his watch again. 9:41p. Each minute ticking by is another minute that Peter’s missing. And it’s killing him. 

“We have to keep looking,” he speaks up again. “There has to be something we’re missing, something we haven’t found yet.” May looks at him, her own face etched in concern, but Rhodey and Happy exchange glances before Happy speaks up. 

“Tony, it’s pitch black out here. We’re not going to find anything if we keep looking tonight.” May turns to look at him, then back at Tony, her own face resigned. 

“He’s right, Tony,” she agrees. “We’re not going to get anywhere in this. Believe me, I don’t want to stop looking either, but exhausting ourselves without making any progress isn’t going to make a difference.” 

Tony starts to protest, but Rhodey interrupts him. 

“Look, Tones. We can all go back to the Tower, spend the night there, and get up with the sun tomorrow morning and try again, alright?” 

Tony stares at him--stares at all of them--not wanting to listen, but knowing they’re right. They can’t do much more in the dark. 

“Alright,” he finally says, but his stomach only sinks further. “But we’re out first thing in the morning.” 

“First thing in the morning,” they all agree. 

Tony offers to let May come to the Tower with them, but she declines, wanting to be back in the apartment in case Peter somehow makes it back there. Not wanting her to be alone, Tony asks Happy to go with her, which he agrees to oddly quickly. After making sure they’ve both made it back to the apartment safely, Tony and Rhodey fly back to the Tower. 

Before they turn in for the night, Tony calls Pepper, giving her the bad news. He says goodnight to Morgan over the phone, promising her he’ll be there with Peter tomorrow. Pepper tells him to be safe and keep her updated before hanging up.

The second the call ends, his stomach drops again. He has no idea if he can keep that promise to Morgan, and that thought terrifies him. 

Desperate, he tries Peter’s phone for the twentieth time that day, but just like all the other times, it doesn’t go through. 

Dropping the phone on the bed next to him, he glances at the doorway, hearing Rhodey’s snores clearly down the hall. He rolls his eyes fondly, then turns the other way, staring at the wall as his chest tightens with worry. 

No matter how hard he tries, he knows there’s no way he’s going to sleep tonight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the update! 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated. Also, now that we're building up to some of the action, I'd love to hear any predictions, if you have them! 
> 
> And if you wanna chat with me more about this story or anything else, you can come say hi on [Tumblr!](https://kitkatwinchester.tumblr.com/) :)


	4. I Need to Handle This on My Own

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!
> 
> I don't have a lot to say here, but I do want to thank everyone who's read the story so far for reading and keeping up with it! 
> 
> I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying it, and I hope you enjoy this update! :D <3

When 5:45a hits, Peter couldn’t be any more relieved. His build-up of adrenaline had been making him antsy, and it’s a relief to finally be able to put his plan into action. 

He gives the camera another cursory glance before shifting himself ever so slightly, just enough to keep the camera from seeing his hands. He easily snaps the cuffs, catching them before they fall to the floor. He moves his wrists around a little, loosening them as much as he can before looking back at the camera again. 

He stares at it for a minute, calculating. It has to be done exactly right, and the timing has to be perfect. Flexing his wrist again, he spins quickly, flinging the cuffs at the camera. 

The cuffs don’t hit the camera quite the way he wants them to, but they hit it nonetheless, and Peter has to hope they shake the camera enough as he jumps out of the chair and flips to the corner of the room. Luckily, they must have. 

“Dammit! Where did he go?” Peter hears from outside, closer than he was expecting. The surveillance room must not be that far away. “You two, go in and find him.” 

Peter keeps tightly to the corner, fingers twiddling as he waits for the door to open. When the tell-tale beeps come from the other side of the door, he tenses, then leaps into action as soon as he hears the  _ click _ . 

He knocks the first goon back with a hard kick to the stomach before he’s even made it through the door. The second goon advances on him and swings for his head, but Peter’s reflexes are faster, and he dives to the ground, kicking him in the kneecap before rolling behind him. These guys may be big and tall, but Peter’s fast and nimble, and it makes it easy to play defensive. 

The initial goon comes at him again and he quickly flips backwards, out of line of the attack, before landing a hard kick to the guy’s face. That finally takes him down, and he lands on the ground, groaning in pain. 

Peter turns back to the second goon, who’s still reeling slightly from the hit to the knee. The guy glares at him and gets in a fighting stance, and Peter smirks, mimicking him. 

“Alright, tough guy. That’s how you wanna play? Then let’s do it.” 

The guy swings for his head the exact same way he had the first time and Peter easily dodges, landing a kick to the man’s gut. 

“Wow. Guess the muscle really  _ is  _ as dumb as they make it look in the movies.” 

That gets the guy’s attention, and Peter’s thrown off guard as a leg shoots out, tripping him. He loses balance, but only for a minute, flipping forwards to right himself just as the guy attempts a punch to his side. He dodges, but barely, finally managing to successfully land a hit to the man’s nose, knocking him on the ground too, just beside his buddy. 

He knows they won’t be down long, so he turns around quickly, making his way down the hallway. Next step: find his backpack and get the hell out of here. 

He skids to a stop, suddenly, as the back of his neck tingles, and he spins to the right just in time to avoid the gunshot that Perceptivo fires at him. With a single flip, he lands in front of Perceptivo and knocks the gun out of his hand, kicking him to the ground in the process. Oddly enough, Perceptivo groans and doesn’t get back up. 

Peter rolls his eyes at the ease--no wonder dude needed his own bodyguards--before turning to see where Perceptivo came from.  _ The surveillance room. _ He walks in and scans the room, spotting his backpack right by the cameras, contents scattered across a long table. 

“Ugh. Really dude?” he sighs, grabbing the bag and tossing everything back in as quickly as he can. Thank God it was just his school stuff. He’d never been so happy to have left his suit and web shooters at home. He’s not sure what would’ve happened if Perceptivo had gotten his hands on those. 

Giving Perceptivo a kick to the side for good measure, he quickly makes his way out of the surveillance room, making a right at the next turn. He makes his way down a few more hallways, hoping he’s taking the right path, before finally ending up by a ladder with a hatch at the top. He hastily makes the climb, eventually making it to the hatch, turning the wheel and pushing it open with his shoulders. 

The August sunrise had never felt so good. Or looked so beautiful. 

He jumps out of the hole, slamming the door behind him, before surveying his surroundings. 

He’s standing in the middle of an open field, but when he turns to the left, he catches the back of Mr. Delmar’s barely thirty feet away. He almost laughs at how close he was to where he got napped, and he can’t help the relaxation that hits him at realizing how close he is to home. This whole ordeal was so much easier than he had been expecting. 

Suddenly, he feels his phone buzzing in his pocket. Over and over and over again. Confused, he pulls it out, and his eyes widen in surprise at the notifications. 

Twenty missed calls from Mr. Stark, not to mention another thirty text messages between him, May, Rhodey, and Happy. How was he just now seeing all of this? He’d had his phone in his pocket that whole time. Perceptivo must have somehow blocked the signal. 

The realization hits him like a sack of bricks. 

No phone signal. 

Mr. Stark never found him. 

Only two guards. 

No lockdown procedure. 

He escaped basically no problem.

_ Shit _ . 

_ Shit shit shit.  _

Perceptivo did this on purpose. He  _ wanted  _ Peter to escape, wanted him to find Tony, or Tony to find him. He wanted them BOTH to be here. 

This was all part of his plan. 

And Peter just unknowingly contributed to it. 

If his phone is back online, then so are the trackers. Tony’s bound to be watching. He’ll be here any minute. 

Peter can’t let that happen. 

He doesn’t know what Perceptivo’s plan is, or how he intends to get revenge on his mentor. All he knows is that he cannot, under  _ any  _ circumstances, let Tony come here. 

He won’t put him in danger like that. 

He thinks for all of five seconds before making a decision. He remembers promising Mr. Stark that he wouldn’t turn off the trackers anymore. After everything that happened, he’d had no intention of ever doing that. 

But this is a dire situation, and it could put Tony in harm’s way. Peter isn't about to let that happen. 

He uses his panicked adrenaline to run as quickly as he can to Mr. Delmar’s, trying to lead the tracker trail as far away from the underground lair as he can in such a short amount of time. The second he reaches Delmar’s, he counts to ten in his head before taking a breath, shutting down his phone and disabling the trackers in his watch and his backpack. 

He realizes, absentmindedly, that Tony must really trust him to not have changed the tracking protocol, because he hacks into it exactly the same way he did the last time. He feels his stomach sink in guilt, but he knows it’s the right move. He has to handle Perceptivo on his own. 

Once the trackers are off, he knows he has to go back to the lair, but he won’t be able to do much without his suit. He tries to picture the way to his apartment as best as he can, considering back alleys and places he could sneak through so his family doesn’t see him. Luckily, being Spider-Man means he knows the city’s layout like the back of his hand, so he’s easily able to plot a route. 

By the time he gets back to his apartment, he figures Tony--and, by default, hopefully May--has already gotten to Delmar’s and started looking for him. But, just in case, he crawls up the side of the building to his bedroom window, grateful for it being early enough that nobody else is awake--hanging off the side of the wall without his mask would be a bit difficult to explain. 

He gradually slides his bedroom window open, silently thanking his past self for leaving it unlocked, peeking in to make sure nobody else is home. Hearing nothing from the rest of the apartment, he climbs in, grabbing his suit from the closet and quickly putting it on. 

Karen comes online immediately, and it takes her no time at all to try to out Peter. 

“Welcome back, Peter. Would you like me to al--” 

“No!” Peter interrupts the A.I. “Karen, whatever you do, DO NOT tell Mr. Stark I’m back. I need you to hide me from him completely. Trackers, systems, everything. Please?” The A.I. pauses, as if thinking, before eventually responding. 

“Mr. Stark has been looking for you for approximately fifteen hours and fifty-two minutes,” Peter cringes at that, guilt weighing him down again. “It is part of my protocol to alert him of your return.” 

“Karen, please. I really really really need to handle this on my own, okay? He’s not back to full strength, and if he finds out where I am and what I’m doing, it’ll put him in danger, and I can’t do that.  _ We  _ can’t do that.” There’s silence from the A.I. again, and Peter waits, anxiously, before speaking up again. “Please.” Eventually, Karen finally speaks up. 

“I will alert Mr. Stark in one hour,” she offers, and Peter can’t help his sigh of relief. “Trackers and signals going offline.” 

“Thank you, Karen,” Peter responds gratefully. He turns to his window again, climbing out slowly and shutting the window before dropping to the ground. Following the same path as he did to get home, he makes his way back to the lair. 

As he nears the field, his adrenaline starts to build, ready to take on Perceptivo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hope you enjoyed that little twist! :) 
> 
> If Peter wasn't in trouble before, you know he will be now lol. 
> 
> Kudos, comments, and otherwise are always much appreciated! I'd love to hear what you thought! <3 
> 
> And, per the usual, if you want to come say hi some more, you can visit my [Tumblr](https://kitkatwinchester.tumblr.com/)! :)


	5. Dammit Kid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Fourth of July to my fellow Americans! 
> 
> Given that I'm not exactly PROUD of my country at the moment (for obvious reasons), I think the best way to celebrate today is to share another chapter of this story! (That, and it's Saturday, per the usual. ;) )
> 
> In any case, hope everyone has a good holiday weekend, and if you're worried about the state of America, I hope this fic can distract you and cheer you up a bit (maybe cheer you up is too strong a word...just remember! I promised you a happy ending! ;) ) 
> 
> Enjoy! <3

Tony doesn’t realize he’s lost in thought until F.R.I.D.A.Y. is frantically shouting at him. 

“Boss!” she calls for the third time, and Tony finally registers what she’s saying. “Peter’s signal is back online.” 

Tony sits up, suddenly very alert, and jumps out of bed, running down the hall to wake Rhodey as he responds.

“Where?” 

“The back of Delmar’s,” the A.I. answers as Tony kicks the couch, causing Rhodey to sit up just as quickly, trying to orient himself. Tony can’t decide if he wants to curse or sigh in relief. The signal’s back, but they were  _ just  _ there and couldn’t find anything.  _ What does that mean?  _

“Call Happy and May. Tell them to meet us there.” Tony’s barely put on shoes before he’s walking towards the elevator, Rhodey hot on his heels. Tony takes slight notice of the time as they exit the elevator, suiting up. 5:50a, which means the sun’s just barely come up outside. 

First thing in the morning, like they said. 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., show me the quickest route there,” Tony orders as he and Rhodey take to the skies. She gives him the route, and just as they start to follow it, Tony’s screen lights up with a call from May. 

“We’re already in the car,” May tells him the second he picks up. “F.R.I.D.A.Y. said the signal came back online in the back of the field. I don’t know what we missed yesterday, but I really hope this isn’t just some glitch.”    


“My tech doesn’t glitch,” Tony snaps, increasing his speed. “It has to be him.” 

Three-fourths of the way to Delmar’s, Tony’s map suddenly disappears, and he shouts to his A.I. in confusion. 

“F.R.I., what’s the deal? Where’s my map?” 

“The signal…” the A.I. responds hesitantly. “It’s disappeared again.” Tony balks and full-on stops mid-flight, Rhodey almost crashing into him. 

“What do you mean it disappeared? It was just there five seconds ago. How could it just disappear?” 

“I’m not sure, boss,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. says, her voice laced with an odd concern. “The signal just...stopped. All three trackers were active, and now none of them are.” 

“Tones what’s going on?” Rhodey asks through the comms. 

“His signal disappeared,” Tony states simply, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.  _ Where could the kid possibly be that the trackers would just disappear like that?  _

“Give me a route to exact coordinates from when they were online,” Tony says to the A.I., and the map from before reappears. Tony doesn’t waste a second, taking off in flight again, Rhodey picking up speed to keep up with him. 

“Tony where are we going? I thought you said the signal went offline.” 

“It did,” Tony says, flying faster as he sees Delmar’s coming up in the distance. “But it was online until twenty seconds ago. Whatever blocked that signal might still be happening. And we’re gonna find it.” 

~ 

They did not find it. 

Tony and Rhodey arrived at the scene several minutes before May and Happy, courtesy of the suits, but despite having spent that entire time looking, neither of them could figure out what happened. When May and Happy had gotten there, they’d searched around the building, covering at least a ten-foot radius, but nobody could find anything. 

It made zero sense. 

“I don’t get it,” Tony exclaims, panic rising. “One minute he was here, and the next he’s gone? There is literally nothing here. We are standing in the middle of an empty field. What the hell is happening?” 

“Maybe the trackers  _ did  _ glitch,” Happy suggests, and Tony glares at him, worry making him frustrated. 

“My tech doesn’t glitch,” he repeats. “It never has before, it isn’t going to now.  _ Especially  _ not with Peter. There are back-up protocols to the back-up protocols. How anything blocked that signal in the first place is beyond my understanding, and something I’m definitely going to be fixing the second we find him. But it did, and it still is, and it was online  _ right here _ , so wherever he is, he can’t be far. Keep looking.” 

The other three exchange looks and turn to continue looking before May suddenly stops, turning to face Tony again. 

“Did you check the suit?” she asks suspiciously. 

“Yes I checked the suit. I’m not an idiot. It’s at your apartment,” Tony says, increasingly frustrated. 

“No, I mean...did you check the suit  _ now _ ?” May emphasizes, and Tony realizes then what she’s getting at. 

“I swear to God if he…” Tony trails off, calling to his A.I. “F.R.I., where’s the Spider-Man suit?” The A.I. hesitates just the slightest, and that’s all the answer Tony needs, though she gives him one anyways. 

“The suit appears to be offline, boss,” she says. “I can’t seem to trace it.” 

“Dammit, kid,” Tony says under his breath. “What the fuck is he thinking?” he then says louder, getting the attention of the rest of the group. 

“What are you talking about?” Rhodey asks, stepping closer. 

“The kid turned his own damn trackers off, after he  _ swore to me _ he was never going to do that again,” Tony starts pacing, worry and anger making his voice rise even further. “Which means something bad obviously happened that he somehow managed to escape from and now doesn’t want us to find out about. Which means he’s trying to handle it on his own, like a fucking idiot.” 

He knows he’s getting heated, but he’s too worried to care.  _ What the hell kind of situation could Peter have gotten into?  _

“So now what do we do?” Happy asks. “If Peter doesn’t want us to find him, we’re not going to.” 

“Yes we are,” Tony says quickly, looking him right in the eyes. “I’m not letting him risk his life for whatever dumb reason just because he doesn’t want us involved,” he continues, straightening up. “We’re finding him. Keep looking, and think outside of the box. Up, down, around, under--anything.” 

The rest of the group nods in agreement, spreading out to cover more ground. Meanwhile, Tony circles Delmar’s again, his chest tightening with fear. 

Peter always does this. He always takes things upon himself so that no one else has to. He always makes himself responsible for everyone else. He never asks for help when he really really needs it. 

And he always gets hurt because of it. 

_ God dammit, _ Tony thinks to himself.  _ He sounds like me. And that’s not a good thing.  _

He reflexively clenches his prosthetic arm, unconsciously returning to that battlefield in his mind, to the moment when he snapped. In that moment, all he could think about was making sure the world was safe, but not even for the world. For Morgan. For Pepper. For Happy and Rhodey. For Peter. 

It didn’t matter if the snap killed him. A small part of him knew that it could, and that if it did, he would never see any of them again. But it didn’t matter. 

Because in that moment, it was about protecting them more than anything else. 

_ God dammit kid, _ he thinks again, fearing the worst. 

_ Please don’t be like me.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like father, like son. ;) 
> 
> Hope you all liked seeing Tony's perspective! I'm sure a lot of you were expecting pretty much that exact reaction from him, but I hope it was still fun to see it play out. 
> 
> The next chapter is going to be the longest yet, and there's a LOT that happens, so I hope you're ready for Wednesday! 
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are appreciated, and if you wanna say more, you can always come chat with me on [Tumblr!](https://kitkatwinchester.tumblr.com/) :)


	6. It's a Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously On:  
> Peter has been missing for a good fifteen hours, and Tony is freaked. After Peter's signal goes back online near Delmar's, only to disappear again, he realizes that Peter must be trying to handle the situation on his own. Worried for his kid, he continues doing everything he can to try to find him, frustrated that Peter is so much like him in his refusal to ask for help. Peter, meanwhile, has escaped from Perceptivo's clutches only to realize that it was all part of the villain's plan to lead his mentor into danger. Wanting to keep Tony out of harm's way, he elects to take Perceptivo on by himself, turning off Tony's trackers and making his way back to Perceptivo's lair...alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! It's time for the big chapter! 
> 
> This chapter is definitely what you would call the climax of the story, so it's the longest one yet, and there's a lot to unpack, so I hope you have a lot of fun with it! 
> 
> Also, EXTRA hooray, because this chapter has another AMAZING art piece from my wonderful artist partner Luna! Just like her first piece, her art for this chapter is BEAUTIFUL and SO FITTING, and I love it so freaking much! Thanks for all your hard work with this, Luna! You're amazing! I was so lucky to be able to partner with you! <3 
> 
> To see more of this talented human, go check her out @lunaliaarts on [Tumblr.](https://lunaliaarts.tumblr.com/)
> 
> And now, without further adieu, I hope you enjoy Chapter 6! <3

When Peter climbs back into the lair, closing the hatch behind him, he’s expecting a fight right away, so when all he’s met with is an eerie silence, he’s immediately on high alert. 

His wariness only increases when he realizes that there’s a wall directly in front of him. 

There  _ definitely  _ wasn’t a wall there when he escaped before. 

He looks to either side and recognizes the two hallways from his escape, but the wall in front of him is still throwing him off. He clearly remembers three hallways. 

So how come now there are only two? 

He steps closer to the wall, inspecting it, and it’s then that he realizes that it’s not a wall at all, but a bunch of hard metal panels put into place, blocking his path. 

Somehow, in the few minutes he was gone, Perceptivo had managed to change the layout of the lair. 

And Peter may be strong, but even he knows there’s no way he can punch his way through those.  _ Great.  _

He looks between the two hallways remaining, debating, before turning to the right. Not far down the hallway, he reaches another set of panels followed by another fork in the road, and this time, he takes a left. He runs into more panels and takes several more turns, but eventually, he starts to feel like he’s going in circles. 

His suspicions are confirmed when he ends up back at the hatch, but from the opposite hallway, and he curses under his breath, spinning in a small circle before staring at the new wall again. His gaze stays on it for several seconds, and, out of anger and curiosity, he kicks at it. 

The wall doesn’t even dent, and now his foot is throbbing.  _ Who the hell is this guy, with the ability to create something like that?  _

He hops on one foot for a second, willing the pain in his foot to chill the fuck out, anger and desperation bubbling in him as he tries to formulate some sort of plan. 

“Come on, Parker, think,” he says to himself, glancing around his surroundings again. Suddenly, an idea comes to him, and he stops looking around, staring straight at the wall again. 

“Okay,” he says before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath and hoping upon hope that his senses will tell him something. 

For several seconds, he thinks it won’t work, and he can feel his panic building. But then, he feels a small tug on the left side of his body and he follows it, turning to the left and sprinting down the hallway. When he reaches the next fork, he closes his eyes and feels the tug again, this time on his right side. 

Trusting his sense, he keeps his eyes closed, following the tugs left, right, right, left, straight, left, left, right, until, suddenly, his senses go off across his body, and he jumps back quickly, opening his eyes and narrowly avoiding the punch from one of the goons he’d taken on earlier. 

His adrenaline rises quickly, and he raises an eyebrow as the goon turns down the hallway Peter’s in, facing him head-on. 

“You again?” he asks, getting ready to fight. “I thought you’d learned your lesson from the last time.” To his surprise, the goon doesn’t seem fazed, and instead responds with a menacing grin. 

“I did.” 

Lightning fast, Peter ducks before he’s even consciously aware of it, missing yet another punch, but this time from the second goon, who’d come from behind him. He stands back up quickly and turns to face him, but he’s acutely aware of the original goon now to his back. 

They have him trapped in a narrow hallway, and Peter can feel his panic building again. With how big they both are, it doesn’t seem like there’s any way of getting past either of them unless he takes one of them down. 

Which means that, for the moment, he’ll have to fight both at once. 

Dodging simultaneous punches, he does a quick scan of the area with his eyes, letting his physics brain calculate how much room he has as he tries to form a plan in his head. Eventually, he finds one. 

Science only gives him a 60% chance. 

Before he can make a move, he miscalculates, and one of the punches catches him in the jaw, throwing him off balance just long enough for the other guy to get in a hard kick to his side. He hears a crack, and the blow leaves him dizzy, causing him to collapse to the ground. His head is reeling, and he knows that, in his current state, the move will be that much harder. But he has to take them down now, or he’ll never make it. 

60% will have to be enough. 

Standing and spinning as quickly as he can, he catches the arm of the guy on his right as he comes in for another blow. In one swift move, he uses the momentum of the punch to propel the man past himself and towards the other goon. 

The squeeze is tight in the narrow hallway, and it puts an added pressure on his likely cracked rib, but the positive probability wins out, and he’s able to slide past, switching places as the two goons run into each other. 

With a tight squeeze, it wasn’t a hard shove, so neither of them are on the ground yet. But now, Peter has both of them in front of him, which makes things a whole lot easier. 

Knowing they won’t underestimate his strength again, he goes for flexibility, dropping to the ground and kicking the first goon’s legs out from under him. He goes down hard, almost hitting his partner, and the distraction is just enough for Peter to hop back up, swinging a punch for the other goon’s face. He dodges, easily, but Peter was counting on that, and his other hand comes around quickly, slamming the goon’s head into the nearby wall and causing him to collapse to the ground on top of his partner. 

“Didn’t learn your lesson enough, I guess,” he finally says, panting from the adrenaline and exertion. Gingerly, he places a hand on his right side, wincing when the pressure sends a jolt of pain through him.  _ Yep. Definitely some cracked ribs there.  _

He glances at the two goons again, and when he’s sure they won’t be getting up any time soon, he turns away. At the last second, he turns back, webbing them to the ground for safety. “Just in case,” he mutters before turning back down the hallway, heading on his original path. 

With the pain radiating from his side and the adrenaline still coursing, his senses are still tingling lightly, and it’s hard for him to concentrate. Despite that, he feels a tug to the right and he turns, feeling like he’s close. Sure enough, after another turn to the left, he’s back to the door of the surveillance room he’d been in before, and he breaths a small sigh of relief. 

Making his way to the door, he sidles up to the wall, peeking around the corner. When he does, he catches sight of Perceptivo, sitting in a chair and looking at various screens. Before he can see much more, Perceptivo speaks up, catching him off guard. 

“You know, loitering isn’t polite.” He spins around, then, turning to face the doorway, and Peter ducks away quickly, not sure what the villain’s angle is. Perceptivo doesn’t comment or beckon him in further. Instead, he just continues talking. 

“So, I see you figured out the whole plan, seeing as you’re sans Tony Stark.” His voice doesn’t seem to be getting any closer, but Peter prepares for a fight nonetheless, glancing around him for any signs of traps. “You were right. The plan was for you to go to him, him to come to me, and, in his weakened state, to take him out, right here. No more Tony Stark.” 

He hears tinkering, and Perceptivo’s voice gets quieter. “But there’s something you don’t realize, Mr. Parker.” He pauses, then, and Peter can feel a sense of dread building in him. Taking a risk, he steps forward, fully exposing himself in the doorway, desperate to see what he’s talking about. 

“Every good plan has a back-up plan.” 

And it’s then that he sees it. 

Surveillance footage of Mr. Delmar’s. 

And of May, Happy, Rhodey, and Tony circling the building. 

Looking for him. 

_ Fuck.  _

He’s been watching them all along. 

He knew Tony was in hiding. 

And he knew exactly how to get him to come out. 

_ This is all my fault.  _

If he hadn’t gotten kidnapped, if he had just been more careful, then Tony, Happy, Rhodey,  _ May... _ none of them would be here. None of them would be in danger. 

And now, he’s put all of them at risk. 

Peter finally speaks up. 

“So that’s your plan? Draw him out of hiding and kill him?” Perceptivo turns, smirking at him standing in the doorway. 

“Oh, not just him,” Perceptive counters before gesturing to the control panel. “There’s a detonator in the back of that shop.” He turns back around then, staring at the screens. “Once I finish the final set-up, all it takes is one push of a button, and everything within a thirty-foot radius blows to smithereens.” 

Peter’s eyes widen in horror, and he looks at the screen again. 

All of them, gone, in an instant. 

He can’t let that happen. 

Not after everything they’ve been through. 

“All of those people, for one guy?” Peter pushes back, desperately trying to bring Perceptivo’s attention back to him as he takes a step closer, eyeing his surroundings again. If Perceptivo’s this smart, there’s no way he’d let Peter get this close without having some sort of protection. But as long as Peter can distract him long enough to stop the final set-up, he can keep anyone else from getting hurt. 

“Collateral damage,” Perceptivo says, pushing buttons on the panel, barely looking at him. “If you had just done what you were supposed to do, then I wouldn’t have to do this at all.” Peter feels a pang in his chest at that--he’d really screwed up this time. 

“But now,” Perceptivo continues, and Peter can tell he’s almost done. “I can kill two birds with one stone.” He pauses. “Well, several birds with one stone, but you get the idea.” He pushes something else and the panel lights up, and just as Peter’s about to make a desperate attack, he finds it. 

A gun, propped up in the corner and clearly meant for him. He scans the area in front of him again, but he can’t find any sort of visible sensor. However, based on the gun’s angle, whatever sets it off is likely only a couple of feet in front of him, and not exactly dodgeable.  _ An invisible motion detector. Awesome. _ There’s no way he can make it past that spot without setting the gun off, and his webs are just as likely to trip the sensor from his current position. He has to get Perceptivo to come to him. His brain fires on all cylinders, desperate for anything, and he’s talking before a plan is even fully formed. 

“Wait!” he shouts, and Perceptivo pauses, hands frozen over the last few buttons. “What if…” he starts, scrambling for words as he tries to plot the trajectory of the bullet, looking for any way out. “What if I bring him to you? Tony.” The words sting coming out of his mouth, but Peter’s out of plays, and he needs to get Perceptivo to turn his way. 

Perceptivo pauses, turning his head slightly to look over his shoulder. 

“I’m listening.” Peter takes a deep breath, eyeing the screen, then Perceptivo’s hands, then the gun. 

“I can bring him to you, right here. And you can do whatever you want to do to him, to  _ us.  _ And no one else has to get hurt. Okay?” There’s a pause as Perceptivo seems to think it through, but he still doesn’t turn around, and Peter’s getting more and more desperate. 

“Why should I believe you?” Perceptivo questions, back still turned to Peter. “You could just as easily run off and warn everyone.” 

“And you’d see me do that right away,” Peter answers, no hesitation, eyes trained carefully on Perceptivo’s hand, hovering over the panel. “You could blow the bomb the second I started running.”  _ He needs to turn around, he needs to get closer... _

Perceptivo pauses again, seeming to consider, but, to Peter’s dismay, he shakes his head, giving his final answer. 

“Can’t trust it. Easier to get it over with now.” 

Peter’s out of options. 

He dives forward, shooting out a web and pulling Perceptivo’s hand away from the detonation button. Just as he does, he feels the bullet dig into his right shoulder and he cries out in pain, falling to the floor. He stands up quickly as he sees Perceptivo struggling to make his way back to the control panel, and he shoots another web at his eyes, blinding him. With his good side, he lands a kick to the man’s gut, sending him flying into the wall. Perceptivo groans and sinks to the ground. Not wasting a second, Peter webs him to the wall with his good arm before turning to the control panel, slamming the off button so hard he almost breaks the board in half. 

He looks up at the screens again, just to make sure, and to his relief, no bombs go off. He sighs deeply, sinking back into the chair as the adrenaline slowly winds down, weariness taking over. His head is throbbing from the pain of the bullet wound in his shoulder, and he pulls off his mask, knowing he likely won’t be able to stay awake much longer. 

On a desperate hunch, he pulls out his phone, and he’s surprised to find that he has service. Whatever signal blocker Perceptivo had used must have been controlled by the panel he just turned off. 

“Cool,” he whispers, smiling slightly before clicking on the first name in his recents, bringing the phone up to his ear as it rings. 

~ 

When Tony’s phone rings, he answers it without looking, too focused on the task at hand to pay much attention. 

“Mis’er Stark?” he hears immediately, and he practically falls over in shocked relief. 

“Peter? Is that you?” The rest of the group must have heard him, because they all spin around quickly, rushing over. “Pete where have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere.” 

“Underground,” he says, and Tony hears him heave a breath, which sends Tony’s heart racing. “It’s...away from...from you. Over in the field.” 

“Peter how do you know where I am?” he asks, spinning around before spotting the field Peter must be talking about. He gestures to the others, pointing towards the field, and they all start running over as he and Rhodey suit up again, Tony transferring the call to his faceplate. 

“There’s, uh…cameras,” Peter says over the line, and his breathing’s more ragged now. “Surveillance. He was gonna hurt all of you. I stopped him. Got shot.”

Tony’s stomach drops.  _ Shot. He was shot. Jesus fucking Christ he was shot and I’m not there.  _ He takes off into the sky, eyes trained to the ground, trying to see what Peter’s talking about.  _ Underground. He said underground. Where underground?? _

He suddenly realizes that Peter’s stopped talking. 

“Hey! Pete? Pete ya still there? Stay with me buddy.” There’s a split second pause, and then he hears his voice over the line again, much quieter than it was before. 

“Yeah, ‘m…’m still here.” Tony sighs a little in relief, but he knows he’s running out of time. Finally, he spots it. 

It’s a small hole, impossible to see from the ground, but in the air, it’s impossible to miss. He lands quickly, reaching down and opening the hatch. He sees the others stop just beside him, and he gestures to Rhodey to join him, shaking his head at May and Happy. 

“Keep talking, kid. I wanna hear ya.” He then looks at May and Happy, voice low. “We don’t know what we’re walking into, and we can’t afford to lose anyone else.” May looks dejected, and he can see the concern etched across her face. “I’ll get him,” he says to her, firmly. “I promise.” 

Eventually, she nods, and he takes that as a cue to go in, following Rhodey down the ladder and into... _ where the fuck are they? _

“Hey kid, I can’t hear ya. You still there?” 

“Yeah, yeah, ‘m…’m here. Sorry.” Tony sighs in relief, staring at the wall in front of them before looking down both hallways, responding to Peter. 

“Hey, no sorries out of you. We’ve talked about this. Just keep talking to me, okay? How do I get to you? Which way do I go?” 

“It’s a..uh, it’s a maze,” Peter offers. “He built that...that wall in front of you. It wasn’t there the first time. I...I couldn’t break it.” 

_ The first time?  _ Tony thinks.  _ Jesus Christ, the kid came back to this hell hole?? On his own?  _

They’re going to be having a serious talk later. 

“Alright, alright, which way do I go first?” There’s silence over the line for a minute, and Tony panics. “Peter? Come on bud, stay with me.” 

“‘M sorry,” he says again, and Tony cuts him off. 

“No sorries. Stop. Just tell me which way to go.” 

“It’s uh...it’s...left, I think?” Tony looks at Rhodey and points left and they both make their way down, cautiously, but quickly. 

“Alright kid, alright. Good job.” When they reach another fork in the road, he asks him again. “Which way now?” 

Peter’s able to direct them for a few more turns, but when Tony asks him again, he doesn’t get an answer. 

“Pete? Peter? Hey, come on bud. I need ya here.” Still nothing. 

His heart races and he panics, spinning in a circle, trying to find any clue of which way to go. 

“Peter come on. Answer me, bud. Come on.” Still nothing. 

He needs to get to him. He needs to find him, he needs to...

“Fuck!” he screams, and without warning, turns to the nearest wall, shooting a hole through it. 

When he does, he stares at the other side in surprise. 

Two men, lying on top of each other and webbed to the ground. 

“We must be close,” Rhodey says, and Tony uses that knowledge to drive him, running through the hole and past the two men, stepping right over them, before blasting another hole in the next wall. 

It isn’t until the third hole in the wall that they see him, lying limp on a chair. His mask is off, and his phone has fallen to the ground next to him. Another man’s webbed to the wall a few feet away. 

“Peter! Hey!” Tony yells, bringing down the suit and running over. He puts a hand on his face, tapping his cheek gently. He’s mildly aware of Rhodey surveying the room before walking over to the guy Peter had webbed up. “Come on, kiddo, open those eyes for me.” Peter groans, but otherwise doesn’t answer, and his breathing is labored. He looks him up and down. Realizing there’s blood on the back of the chair, he turns Peter gently, finding the bullet wound on the back of his shoulder. He curses under his breath, trying to ease Peter back into a sitting position. 

“Alright kiddo, look at me. Come on, open those eyes.” Peter’s eyes flutter a little, but don’t open, and Tony knows he has to move fast. 

“Rhodes I’m gonna have to carry him back to the Tower. We need to get that bullet out.” Rhodey looks at him, then at Peter, then back at him. 

“Tony you can’t carry him. Not at your strength.” Tony looks at Rhodey, then down at the guy against the wall, then back at Peter. 

“We can’t leave that guy here. And we have to get Peter to the Tower now. I’m carrying him.” Rhodey starts to protest, but he doesn’t even get a word out before Tony cuts him off. “I’m carrying him. I’ll deal with the repercussions later.” 

He pockets the kid’s phone and mask before forming his suit again, walking over to Peter and lifting him up as gingerly as he can. He whines in response, and Tony’s heart pounds harder as he looks down at him. 

“I know buddy, but I’m gonna fix it, alright? We’ll get you back to normal in no time.” Not wanting to go through the maze again, he shields Peter delicately, then shoots rockets into the air, breaking open the ground they’re under and giving him free reign to the sky. 

“Get him to the Tower,” Tony says to Rhodey as he brings Peter closer to himself, gesturing to the man against the wall. “I want to have a few words with him.” He then takes off quickly, clutching Peter against him as they race to the Tower. 

“Alright, almost there buddy.” He can feel Peter’s ragged breaths against his chest, and he pushes harder. “Just hold on, we can do this.” He can feel his own body resisting the fast speeds, but he doesn’t care. All he cares about is Peter. 

And how desperate he is not to lose him again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just didn't think the story was twisty enough, so I added another one. ;) 
> 
> And because I really like to play with your emotions, cliffhanger! ;) 
> 
> Also, yes, the title was a Star Wars reference. I mean, come on, you HAD to know there would be one in there somewhere. ;) 
> 
> I hope you like the direction the story's taking, and I really hope you liked this latest update! This chapter was honestly one of the harder ones to write, so any feedback you guys have is much appreciated, kudos, comments, or otherwise! And if you want to chat some more, come say hi on [Tumblr!](https://kitkatwinchester.tumblr.com/) :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3


	7. Unconditional Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we begin our resolution. 
> 
> I don't have much to say, especially considering I left you on a cliffhanger, but thanks again for all of your lovely comments! I hope you enjoy the update! <3

By the time Tony finally reaches the Tower, pain is shooting through his body, and he’s glad he had the foresight to call Helen when they were on their way. He doesn’t think he could have carried Peter to the MedBay on his own. Luckily, Helen had already been in town, so she’s waiting for them when they land. 

She and several of her assistants help Tony slide Peter onto a stretcher before wheeling him away. The second he’s through the doors, Tony turns off the suit and drops to one knee, trying to catch his breath. His arm is throbbing way more than it should be, and he knows his heart rate is too fast, but he doesn’t care. Peter’s here, and that’s all that matters. 

Helen suddenly crouches down into his line of vision, and he looks up at her in surprise. 

“What are you doing? You have to help Peter,” Tony starts, frantic. 

“And I will,” Helen says, barely letting him finish his sentence. “But first, I need to make sure you go see Bruce.” Tony scoffs. 

“I’m fine. It’s Peter that needs to be taken care of.” 

“And you do too,” Helen pushes again. “You and I both know that you were not at the strength for the stunt you pulled today, and the longer you sit here and argue with me, the longer it’s going to take for me to get to Peter.” 

Tony hesitates, but only for a split second. He needs Peter to be okay. 

“Fine. I’ll go.” 

Helen helps him stand, and the two of them make their way into the hall before Helen gestures Tony towards a room, hurrying off in the other direction towards Peter. Tony sighs, then opens the door, smirking when he sees Bruce already set-up and waiting for him. 

“Wow. They called you quick, huh,” Tony remarks, stopping just inside the doorway. 

Bruce turns to him, looks him up and down once, and then sighs deeply. 

“Sit down before you fall down,” he mutters, gesturing to the bed in front of him. Tony rolls his eyes, but obliges, slowly making his way over to the bed before sinking into it, grateful for the ability to relax. 

“You know, you were way more fun as the big guy,” Tony says as Bruce sets him up. “At least then you were a little more laid back. Fewer rules.” Bruce gives him a look, then sighs. 

“Yeah, well, I figured my hands could do a little more good for people if they were back to a normal size,” Bruce responds, setting up a few machines. “And besides, I didn’t have that many rules. Even for you, I thought those would be easy to follow.” Bruce turns to him, then, a frown on his face. “And yet, somehow, you broke all of them.” 

Tony stares right back, face stone, but the waver in his voice gives away his emotions. 

“It was Peter, Bruce.” 

Bruce stares at him for another minute, then sighs again, nodding slightly in understanding.

“Well, let’s just...get you checked out.” 

It doesn’t take long for Bruce to conclude that Tony was very  _ very  _ lucky not to have collapsed mid-air, but as long as he continues to rest--and that means no suit flying  _ period,  _ he made clear--Tony should heal up okay. 

As they finish up, Tony gets a text from May letting him know that Rhodey told them what had happened, and that she and Happy would stop by later. Helen had thought it was best for Peter not to have too many visitors right away, and as much as she wanted to see him, she trusted Helen’s judgment. Tony types back a reply, also taking the time to update Pepper on the situation. It’s just as Bruce is requesting that he stay in bed for at least a few more hours that Rhodey knocks on the doorframe, the door still open from when Tony had walked in. 

“Hey, uh, sorry Bruce,” he starts, a little sheepishly. “But I figured Tony oughta know that our guy’s downstairs, tied up and wide awake.” 

Tony sits up quickly, which earns him a scold from Bruce, but he doesn’t care. He’s too angry. 

“That son of a--” he grumbles as he starts to stand, but he’s stopped by a hand on his shoulder. 

“Tony, I really would not advise any sort of altercation, physical, emotional, or otherwise,” he says. But when Tony turns to him, the look he gives makes Bruce back off, and he lets go, rolling his eyes. 

“Just try to be careful, please,” Bruce attempts, but Tony barely hears it, dashing out of the door and down the hall towards the elevator. 

By the time he makes it downstairs, he’s out of breath again, but it only fuels his anger further as he marches into the make-shift dungeon, immediately spotting the man that almost killed his kid. When he gets closer, though, he stops in his tracks, face turning to surprise as he realizes that he recognizes him. 

“Alan Barrymore?” he questions, thrown off. The man, who had been looking at the ground, glances up, and a smirk makes its way onto his face. 

“Wow. Tony Stark remembers me. I’m flattered,” he mocks, a slight sneer on his lip. Tony’s surprise wears off quickly, and the original glare returns to his face. 

“Well, when you almost kill hundreds of SI employees, it tends to make an impression.” He steps closer, circling Alan as he looks him up and down. “Yep, just as scrawny as I remember,” he concludes, stopping in front of the man again. At Tony’s comment, Alan rolls his eyes, but, oddly enough, smiles. 

“Scrawny or not, I managed to jump the oh-so-observant Spider-Man, so what does that say about me? I mean, for a superhero, he was almost too easy to grab. Use the right sound frequency and it’s a piece of c--” 

Before he’s even aware of it, Tony’s punched him in the jaw, hard enough that the chair actually tilts, and Alan groans, moving his jaw around to try to loosen it again. 

“If you know what’s good for you,” Tony threatens, leaning in. “You’ll speak only when spoken to.” Alan stares back at him, hardening his jaw, but otherwise doesn’t comment. After several seconds of their stand-off, Tony backs off, circling him again.

“So why Peter?” he asks, venom lacing his voice. “What was the play?” Alan doesn’t answer right away, but when Tony shoots him a dangerous look, he huffs, but answers. 

“Revenge, mostly,” he starts, and Tony starts pacing in front of him. “For you, ruining my life by firing me.” Tony stops, then, spinning around quickly to face him. 

“Revenge on  _ me? _ ” Tony yells. “ _ You  _ caused the explosion. If F.R.I.D.A.Y. hadn’t intervened, Stark Industries wouldn’t exist. You were lucky I didn’t arrest you.” Tony leans in again, glare hardening even more. “You were a genius who made a stupid mistake. You ruined your own life, Barrymore. But if you  _ really _ want to get back at me, then come for  _ me. _ Don’t bring my kid into it.” Tony backs away, expecting a rebuttal, but to his surprise, Alan starts to laugh. 

“Your  _ kid? _ Wow. I guess that explains why he did so much to protect you.” Tony hardens his jaw, only now realizing his wording, but to him, no correction is needed. 

To him, Peter is his kid, in every sense of the word. 

Before Tony can say anything back, Alan keeps talking. 

“You know, I have kids too. Two boys. Bright-eyed, intelligent, just like me. Or, so I hope. I haven’t seen them in...seven years? Just another thing you took away from me, Stark.” Tony freezes at that.

“What does that mean?” he snaps out, though it’s cautious. He doesn’t want to think about any more deaths that might have been at his hand. He’s had enough of those already. 

“They’re gone. Left with my wife the day after you fired me,” Alan replies, and Tony can’t help the small sigh of relief that escapes him. “My family was everything to me, and with them gone, I had nothing. No life. So, with no family, my priorities shifted. I wanted you to feel what I felt. ” Alan leans forward, the smirk returning to his face. “Guess I didn’t realize just how close I was to succeeding.” 

Tony’s glare returns, blood boiling at the man’s arrogance when this is  _ Peter  _ they’re talking about. But as he thinks about what Alan said, a different emotion starts building, and it quickly overtakes the anger. 

“Parents do anything for their kids, right?” Tony murmurs, and Alan gives him a look, seeming taken aback. 

“What?” he questions, clearly confused. 

“Parents. They’ll do anything for their kids, right?” Tony repeats, crossing his arms. “So this whole plot, this whole scheme...it was more than just getting revenge. It was about trying to win your family, your  _ kids,  _ back. Am I right?” Alan stares at him, but doesn’t answer, which causes Tony to smirk knowingly. However, after a few seconds, he sighs, looking around the room before finding another chair a few feet away. He swiftly brings it in front of Alan, sitting down. 

“Look,” Tony tries, but stops, not sure how to convey what he wants to. Eventually, he takes a breath and continues. “Here’s the thing. I never thought I was ready to be a parent. Never had it in me. Even when I finally was one, I was terrified. Always thought I was gonna do something wrong and lose them somehow. But, even with that, I knew that nothing would ever stop me from doing anything and everything for them. Nothing.” He thinks back to inventing time travel, to Peter, to the battlefield, to Morgan. 

“And, if I’m right, you want the same thing for your kids,” Tony continues as Alan watches him closely. “But trust me when I say that this is not the way to do it. Blaming your own mistakes on someone else, and making them pay for something you did...it doesn’t get you anywhere. And it doesn’t make you feel better. It just buries it deeper, and you never achieve what you wanted all along.” Tony sighs again, realizing how many memories this conversation is bringing up. 

“I’ve learned a lot about parenting over the years,” he starts again, regaining his composure. “And I still have a lot to learn. But the one thing I do know is this.” He leans in, then, making sure Alan really hears him. “No matter what happens, and no matter what mistakes you make, those kids will love you just as unconditionally as you love them. But if you don’t chase that love with everything you have, and you don’t show them how much you really truly care, it’ll be gone before you can really appreciate it.” 

Tony leans back, then, surprised at how easily the words left his mouth. But as he thinks about them, he knows that every word he said is true. 

And he hopes Alan knows that too. 

Based on the way that Alan stares at him before bowing his head, Tony suspects he does. 

On impulse, he stands up, going to the back of the chair before bending down, quickly untying the bonds. When he walks back in front of the chair, Alan is rubbing his wrists, looking at him in surprise. 

“I...I tried to kill you,” he stumbles out. “Why...why would you--”

“Go find that family of yours,” Tony says, cutting him off. “Show them how much you care. Because trust me when I say that if you don’t, you’re going to regret it someday.” He pauses, then, eyes narrowing as his own kids come to mind. “But if you ever lay so much as a finger on _anyone_ in my family ever again, I will hunt you down and kill you myself.” Alan’s eyes widen and his jaw hardens once more, but nevertheless, he nods, standing up. Tony takes that as a cue to leave, and he turns towards the door, staying alert just in case he tries anything. Just as he’s about to walk out, Alan says his name, and he turns around to listen. 

“Thank you,” Alan finally says after several beats of silence, and Tony simply nods before replying. 

“Front door’s to the left,” he says before opening the door and walking out. 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.,” he calls as he starts down the hallway. 

“Yes boss?” 

“Make sure he doesn’t try anything on his way out.” 

Heading towards the elevator doors, Tony feels his anxiety rising again, worried about Peter. As the elevator doors open on the second floor, however, Helen is already standing there, ready to greet him. 

“James told me you’d be down there. I was just about to come tell you,” she says, and when she smiles, Tony’s anxiety subsides, just the slightest. “Peter’s gonna be just fine. We dressed the bullet wound and dealt with several other minor injuries. He does have several cracked ribs, but with his abilities, they should heal within a few days. He’ll have to stay in bed until he’s better, though.” Tony sighs in relief, returning the smile gratefully. 

“Thank you, Helen. Really.” She nods in acknowledgement before gesturing down the hall. “We moved him to his room, if you want to see him, but he’s likely still sleeping.” Tony nods, eager to check on him, and they quickly head down the hallway. When they finally reach the room, any remaining worries dissipate at seeing Peter lying in his bed, practically wrapped up like a mummy, but alive, and okay. He tries to sneak over, afraid of waking him, but when Helen tells him he’s been heavily sedated, he doesn’t bother, hurrying over to his side. 

He pulls up a chair and sits next to him, and when he hears Helen leave the room, he reaches over, brushing curls out of the kids face. He chuckles, lightly, at seeing how peaceful he looks, despite everything that he just went through. 

“You scared the shit outta me, kid,” he whispers before leaning over, gently placing a kiss on his forehead. Peter stirs, slightly, but doesn’t wake, and Tony leans back in the chair, electing to keep an eye on him for the rest of the night. 

After what feels like only a few minutes, but was likely several hours, Tony is woken up by his watch beeping, and he looks down to see an alert.

_ Peter’s 17th Birthday.  _

Sure enough, the clock had just hit midnight. 

Tony looks over at his kid again, smiling a little. 

“Happy birthday, kiddo.” He then frowns, sighing as he realizes what this means. “Sorry it didn’t go quite as planned.” Just as the words leave his mouth, however, an idea suddenly occurs to him, and he quickly pulls out his cellphone, forming a plan. 

One way or another, Peter’s birthday was gonna happen. 

He owed him that much. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed those little moments of vulnerability from Tony! 
> 
> Obviously, I broke pattern a bit here with no Peter POV, but given Peter's current state, it only made sense lol. 
> 
> And I hope you liked what happened with Alan! It was definitely a big step for Tony, but I think it worked for his character and everything he's been through. :) 
> 
> I can't believe there's only one chapter left! Thank you to everyone who's been following this story so far! I really appreciate all of you, and I'm looking forward to finishing this story with you all! <3 
> 
> As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts via kudos, comments, or otherwise, and if you wanna chat it up, come say hi on [Tumblr!](https://kitkatwinchester.tumblr.com/) <3


	8. The Real Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow. 
> 
> Here we are! The LAST chapter! 
> 
> This feels kind of crazy to me! While this story may have only been a mini-bang, it has the most words of any story I've posted on AO3, and I put a lot of time into it, and it's crazy to me to think that it's done and put out there for everyone to see! 
> 
> I want to thank each and every one of the people that have been reading and keeping up with this story this whole time. Your comments and kudos have made me so happy, and I'm so glad that you guys enjoyed the story! I honestly had no idea how much reception this story would get, but I'm so happy with how popular it became and how much people seemed to like it, and I'm crazy grateful for all of you! I really hope you also like the ending! :D <3 
> 
> So, without further ado, let's finish off "Who Knew Birthdays Could Be So Complicated".

When Peter wakes up, the first thing he notices is the intense pain in his right shoulder, and the even worse pain in his right side, and it takes him a minute to remember what happened. 

When he does, he opens his eyes in a panic, trying to sit up, but his efforts are quickly discouraged by a soft hand on his left shoulder. 

“Hey, easy, kid, we don’t want you cracking any more ribs,” Tony says, trying to get Peter to lie back down. 

Peter eventually obliges, sinking back into the bed before turning his head to the left, focusing on the source of the voice. 

“Mister Stark?” he finally registers, still a little groggy, before his eyes widen as pieces of memory flash in his head. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Did  _ I  _ hurt you? I remember you carrying me, but you  _ definitely  _ shouldn’t have done that let alone been in the suit and oh my god you almost died and--”

“Pete, calm down,” Tony interrupts, eventually stopping the teen’s rambling. “I’m fine, kid. It’s you I’m more worried about.” 

“What do you mean?” Peter shoots back. “I’m fine.” However, he realizes quickly that that’s not gonna fly when he winces the second he shifts, and Tony raises an eyebrow at him suspiciously. 

“Okay…” Peter mutters. “So...maybe I’ve been better. But I’m still fine,” he tries again, adamantly. Tony just looks at him, disbelieving, and eventually Peter rolls his eyes, lying back on the pillow. However, he immediately sits back up again as something else occurs to him, causing Tony to reach out to push him back down again. 

“Where’s Perceptivo? Did you get him?” Tony stares at him, then bursts out laughing, unable to keep it in after hearing what Peter just said. 

“I’m sorry...did you just say  _ Perceptivo? _ ” he asks, still chuckling, and Peter can’t help his own smile that appears on his face. 

“Yeah, that’s what the guy called himself. I know, I said the same thing,” Peter replies, giggling a little, though it immediately causes his side to shoot up in pain again, and he winces. 

Peter’s wince causes Tony to settle down quickly, and he helps Peter readjust, tucking the pillow under him so he’s in a more comfortable position.

“He’s taken care of, don’t worry,” Tony finally answers, and Peter’s eyes widen a little. 

“You didn’t...you didn’t kill him, did you?” Peter questions. “He has kids. He told me.” Tony shushes him quickly, subconsciously running a hand through his hair, and Peter leans into the touch. 

“No. I didn’t kill him.” Tony affirms, and Peter sighs in relief. Tony clears his throat, debating for a second, before admitting: “I, uh...I actually let him go.” 

Peter stares at him for a second, not sure if he heard him correctly before echoing: 

“You...let him go?” 

Tony nods, once, and Peter tilts his head at him, despite the pain it sends to his shoulder. 

“Why?” 

Tony stares at him, but doesn’t answer. Instead, he leans back, narrowing his eyes slightly, and Peter cringes, knowing what’s coming. 

“Okay, okay, I know,” Peter starts before Tony can even talk. “I shouldn’t have taken him on alone, and I should’ve called you and told you where I was and asked for help, and I shouldn’t have been so reckless.” Suddenly, to Peter’s surprise, tears start welling up in his eyes, and his words get softer as he tries to hold them back. “But he was gonna kill you, and after everything that happened, I couldn’t risk seeing that again, because I could barely handle it the first time and I just...I’m so sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” The tears start falling freely at that point, and Peter wraps his arms around himself, turning away. 

Tony was expecting apologies, and sass, but the last thing he was expecting was tears, so when he sees Peter break down, he’s thrown off. 

“Hey, Peter, hold on stop,” he says, reaching out for Peter’s chin and turning him to face him. When he does, Peter’s eyes are brimming, and Tony sighs before pulling him in for a hug. Peter gratefully buries his head in the man’s chest, ignoring the pain it brings, soaking in his father-figure’s warmth and love and holding onto it for dear life. 

He can’t imagine not having this. 

He can’t. 

After several seconds, Tony finally tries to speak again. 

“You know I only get mad because I worry, right?” Peter nods into his chest, and Tony rests his chin on the top of his head. 

“I lost you too, you know,” Tony whispers, and Peter tenses from his position on his chest. “And losing you...that was one of the worst moments of my life. And it terrifies me to think that that could ever possibly happen again.” Tony sighs, feeling his own eyes getting misty, but he manages to hold them back as he continues talking. 

“But I learned something from that,” he continues, gripping Peter tighter. “All those years of pushing you away, of getting mad when really all I was was worried...I was wrong. I was so so wrong, Pete.” Peter pulls away, then, looking up at his mentor in mild confusion. Tony rests a hand on the back of his kid’s head, looking him right in the eyes. 

“When you were gone, the only thing I could think about was that I had never told you how much I cared. I’d never been able to show you just how much you meant to me. And when Morgan was born, I swore to myself I was never gonna make that mistake again. And now that you’re back, and you’re  _ here,  _ I’m never gonna make that mistake with you, either.” He pauses, then, a smile settling on his face. “I let Perceptivo go because I thought he deserved that chance too.” 

Peter stares at Tony, not sure where he’s going with all of that, so when he speaks again, Peter’s thrown off, but in the best way. 

“I love you kiddo. I need you to know that. I really really do.” 

Peter immediately smiles, and he wraps his arms around Tony, squeezing as tightly as he can. 

“I love you too…” He trails off a little, hesitating, taking a deep breath before finishing with what he knows he really wants to say. “Dad.” 

Tony’s heart leaps a little at that, and he pulls his kid in tighter, squeezing him as tightly as he dares, placing a kiss on the top of his head. 

They stay like that for several seconds before eventually pulling away, mostly because Peter’s side starts to hurt too much. 

Just as Tony’s helping Peter reposition on the bed, there’s a knock on the door, and they both turn towards the source of the sound. 

“Oh thank God you’re alright,” May says as she enters, Happy trailing closely behind, shutting the door behind them. She quickly circles around to the other side of the bed, giving her nephew a once-over before sighing in relief, placing a light kiss on his head. 

“Don’t  _ ever _ scare me like that again,” she scolds, pointing a finger at him. It’s then that Peter notices that Happy’s carrying several boxes and bags, and he looks over at him curiously. 

“Happy, what’s all that?” he questions, and Tony and May exchange looks over his head. Suddenly, it occurs to Peter, and he puts his head in his hands in frustration. 

“Oh man, I totally ruined our weekend at the lakehouse,” he mutters, running his hands down his face before looking back at Tony. “I’m so sorry, Mister Stark. You planned that for weeks.” 

Tony looks at Peter, then back at May, who’s smiling brightly. 

“Well…” Tony starts, turning back to Peter again. “We  _ did  _ have something pretty special planned…” Tony trails off at Peter’s groan, and he can’t help the laugh that escapes him. “But,” he continues, getting Peter’s attention again. “Given the current circumstances, we figured we could rearrange a few things.” 

Suddenly, there’s another knock on the door, and when it opens, Ned and MJ walk in, smiling brightly, presents in hand. Right behind them are Rhodey and Pepper, and at Pepper’s side is Morgan, bright and sun-shiney as ever, holding a covered tray. 

“Hi Petey!” she says, waving excitedly as Rhodey shuts the door behind everyone. Peter chuckles, waving back, before looking around at everyone else, eyes widening in clear amazement. 

“What is all this?” he asks. 

“Happy birthday, baby,” May says, rubbing his arm lightly. He turns to her, still in shock. 

“You did this?” he asks again, smile growing. 

“Well, all I did was make a few calls,” May says, absently. “Tony really did most of the work.” 

Peter turns to Tony, then, and when he does, he can see his mentor--his  _ dad _ \--smiling ever so slightly. 

“Happy birthday, bud,” he whispers, smile growing, and Peter smiles back, happy tears brimming in his eyes. 

He then turns to the group again, looking at everyone before stopping on Ned and MJ, smiling even brighter. 

“I can’t believe you guys are here!” he exclaims. 

“Well, we  _ were  _ supposed to show up and surprise you at the lakehouse,” Ned starts, and MJ quickly butts in to finish. 

“But, since you had to go be a doofus and get yourself injured, we had to come here instead.” Her usual sass is there, but behind it, he can see relief that he’s okay, and Peter can’t help the way his cheeks redden just a little, his smile growing even more. 

“This is...this is amazing,” he says to everyone, looking around again. “Thank you.” 

They all smile at him before Morgan, who had been pretty quiet up until this point--most definitely instructed by Pepper to do so--apparently can’t contain her excitement anymore. 

“Petey look!!” she exclaims, running over to him, and Tony has to grab her around the waist to stop her from jumping on the bed and hurting Peter further. “Mommy and I made you a cake.” She then very gingerly opens the top of the tray, and, sure enough, there sits a cake. 

“That’s awesome, Morgan,” Peter replies, smiling at her. “I can’t wait to eat it.” 

The festivities kick off quickly after that. Despite Peter not being able to move much, his friends and family still make sure he’s able to have a good time. Between jokes, movies, games, and, of course, cake and gifts, Peter’s smile never drops. 

Tony watches on, looking around the room filled to the brim with joy and laughter. When his eyes settle on Morgan and Peter, his smile only grows. How he managed to have not just one, but  _ two _ amazing kids will always be a mystery to him.

“Hey,” a voice behind him says, interrupting his thoughts. When he turns, Pepper’s walking over to him, piece of cake in hand. 

“I figured you should get a piece before Peter and Morgan devour the rest of it,” she says, smirking a little. Tony chuckles, grabbing the plate from her with a smile before turning back to look at his kids. Peter had moved over so Morgan could sit on the bed with him, and they were sharing a piece of cake, making about as much of a mess as one would expect from a teenager and a four-year-old. 

“You really do make an amazing father, you know,” Pepper says, suddenly, and Tony turns to look at her, slightly thrown off. Without thinking, he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. 

“Peter called me Dad today.” 

Pepper looks at him, but it’s not filled with surprise, like he would’ve expected. Instead it’s filled with what he  _ swears  _ is pride. 

“I’m surprised it took him this long,” she says simply, placing a kiss on his check and smiling before walking away to grab Morgan, who has, unsurprisingly, covered herself in cake and very clearly needs to be cleaned up. 

Tony follows her with his eyes for a minute before his gaze drifts back to Peter, and a small smile breaks out on his face at seeing how happy he is. Just like Tony has always wanted. 

Peter catches Tony looking at him out of the corner of his eye, so he turns to face him, smiling brightly at him, knowing full well he has cake in his teeth, which causes Tony to laugh at him, shaking his head. Peter laughs too, smiling even more. 

Sometimes, even the craziest birthdays can turn into the best. 

~

By the time the sun finally sets, Pepper and Rhodey have left to take Morgan home, and Ned and MJ had to return to their, as MJ herself said, “boring” families, so it’s just Tony, Happy, May, and Peter. But, eventually, even May starts to doze off, and Happy offers to take her to one of the guest rooms. Why he suddenly seems so attached to his aunt is a bit of a mystery to Peter, but he brushes it off. 

Because now it’s just him and Tony. 

And as much as he loves his aunt, Tony time is always the best time. 

“So, how’d I do?” Tony asks Peter as he lays back down in his bed. 

“How’d you do?” Peter echoes, flabbergasted. “Mister Stark do you even have to  _ ask _ ?! That was incredible. Best birthday ever, by far.” He throws his arms up, but immediately winces. He’d enjoyed himself so much, he’d forgotten he was hurt. 

“Alright, not too much activity,” Tony scolds lightly. “You still have to heal up, ya know, or you’ll never make it to the next birthday.” 

“Hey, that’s the big 18,” Peter teases. “You gonna be able to handle that?” 

Tony just rolls his eyes, but he smiles, tucking the blanket around Peter gently. As Peter settles in, Tony’s phone buzzes, and he picks it up, seeing a text from Stephen. 

_ I know by now you’ve found the kid, but I thought you should know that one of our former wizard students was working with Alan. He’d used a spell to help him cloak his lair. When Peter shut Alan’s systems down, the spell went down with it.  _

Tony scoffs, rolling his eyes.  _ Go figure. No wonder they couldn’t find him.  _

_ See, _ he silently prides himself.  _ I knew my tech wouldn’t glitch.  _

“Hey Dad?” Peter suddenly says, and it pulls Tony out of his thoughts and back to his kid. 

“Yes, son?” Tony responds jokingly, and Peter giggles. 

“I was thinking--”

“Uh-oh, I’m already worried.” 

Peter rolls his eyes, shooting Tony a mild glare. 

“Very funny.” 

Tony smirks back, chuckling lightly. 

“So, you were thinking,” he prompts, and Peter continues his thought. 

“Wasn’t that drone guy, Justin or whatever, someone who wanted revenge ‘cause you kinda turned him away?” 

Tony thinks for a second, then realizes he’s right. 

“Uh, yeah...yeah, I guess he was.” 

“And that...Killiman guy or whatever--”

“Killian,” Tony corrects. 

“Yeah, him. Didn’t you turn him away too?” 

Tony thinks again, and he doesn’t really like the answer. 

“Yeah, yeah, I guess I did.” 

_ Wow, not loving that pattern.  _

“You know what, Pete, you should get some sleep,” Tony says, changing the subject. Peter frowns at him, about to rebut, but instead of words, a yawn escapes him. Tony gives him a pointed look and Peter’s forced to comply. 

“Yeah, yeah, okay…” he says, adjusting again before rolling onto his side, looking at Tony. 

“Don’t worry, kid,” Tony says, running a hand through his hair again. “I’m not going anywhere.” To illustrate his point, Tony pulls another chair and a blanket over and sets up shop, feet propped up on the second chair and blanket folded over him, which makes Peter smile. “Now get some rest.” 

Peter closes his eyes, and after several seconds, Tony does too, leaning back in the chair. Just as he’s dozing off, however, Peter wakes him up. 

“Mr. Stark?” 

“Yeah, kid?” 

“You really need to work on your people skills.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! 
> 
> This is so exciting! I'm honestly really proud of that ending, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! <3 <3 
> 
> And finally, I just want to personally thank EVERYONE whose read my story and given me any sort of support in any way, because it seriously means the world! You guys made my day with every kudo and every comment, and I'm so lucky to have you all reading this and enjoying it! Thank you thank you thank you! <3 
> 
> I also want to once again thank Luna at @lunaliaarts on [Tumblr](https://lunaliaarts.tumblr.com/) for her art contributions, because they were amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better partner for this event. 
> 
> Thank you again to Mads for all of her hard work putting this event together and for being so kind and supportive of all of the writers and artists. You really made this event amazing! 
> 
> And last, but certainly not least, the biggest thank you once again to my bestie Grace, without whom this story wouldn't have happened (that ending was basically her idea, so if you liked it, you have her to thank for that too lol). Girl, I seriously cannot thank you enough for all of your help with this story. You helped me make it happen, and I appreciate that so freaking much! Couldn't have done it without you! <3 
> 
> Thank you all for your support and love! If you liked this story, please check out my AO3 for more that I've written, and if you want to stay updated with what I'm working on (and see a bunch of reblogged fandom content lol), then you can come check me out on [Tumblr!](https://kitkatwinchester.tumblr.com/) :D
> 
> I love you all, and I'm so glad to have brought you on this journey with Tony and Peter. :) <3


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